Greensboro, USA — The 16 million Southern Baptists in the United States have a new president, elected on Tuesday in a surprise victory that he called a turning point for a church that needs to engage more of its members.
The new president, Frank S. Page, is the pastor of a megachurch in Taylors, S.C. He won more than 50 percent of the vote in a three-way contest that he entered late. His opponents were Ronnie Floyd of Springdale, Ark., and Dr. Jerry Sutton of Nashville.
Generally, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention is elected unopposed.
Dr. Page and his supporters said his election, on the first ballot on the first full day of the annual meeting of convention, did not mean that the nation's largest Protestant denomination would change its views on social issues like same-sex marriage and abortion that the three candidates generally opposed. "I do not want anyone to think I am out to undo a conservative movement," Dr. Page told reporters after his election.
He added that church goals would be met through "godly, conservative men and women in our convention, men and women who have not been involved before, who need to be and can be involved."
Dr. Page said although his election did not mean that the church was moderating, it certainly meant that change was in the wind.
"I believe in the Word of God," he said. "I am just not mad about it. Too long Baptists have been known for what we are against. Please let us tell you what we are for."
The results were announced at 4 p.m. in the convention hall where delegates, called messengers, had filled out orange paper ballots about an hour and a half earlier. The crowd cheered the announcement.
The recording secretary, Jim Wells, said 9,005 votes were cast, with 44 disallowed.
Mr. Floyd received 24.95 percent of the vote. Dr. Sutton drew 24.08 percent, with the remaining 50.48 percent going to Dr. Page.
He will serve a single one-year term and be eligible for re-election next year.
His predecessor, Bobby H. Welch of Daytona Beach, Fla., just ended his second year of service.
Dr. Page, 53, grew up in Greensboro. He and his wife, Dayle, have three daughters, according to biographical information from the convention. He received a B.S. in psychology at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, where he minored in sociology and Greek.
His Master of Divinity and Ph.D. are from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.
Some delegates did not want to talk about whom they voted for, but expressed support for Dr. Page.
"Dr. Page calls himself theologically conservative, and that pleases me," said Donnie Lovette, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C. "All of these men who ran today were good men. I think there is a perception the convention is divided because Frank Page was elected.
"But the S.B.C. is a big convention. As long as we can believe the Word of God and believe the Scripture, we can all be a part of it and work together."
Early in the afternoon, delegates viewed a videotaped greeting from President Bush, who thanked Southern Baptists for backing his recent Supreme Court nominees and for supporting the troops in Iraq. Mr. Bush reminded the convention of his opposition to what the law calls partial-birth abortion.